Astitch
Astich (formally spelled as ASStitch and briefly as 455717CH) was an American alternative metal band from Ogden, Utah. The band joined in 1993 and became fully established later that year. They toured with Dry Kill Logic, Machine Head, System of a Down and American Head Charge. The band only had two major studio releases to their credit, thus remaining relatively unknown in the mainstream metal community. They disbanded in 2008. The band were best remembered for their large roster of members (something the band utilized to have alternates in case their core members couldn’t play and to replicate more ambitious studio recordings live), as well as their multiple percussionists and keyboardists, leading to a distinctive sound. History The band was conceived in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was the brainchild of Trina Riffin, and was envisioned when she was in her sophomore year. Riffin was uncertain of what direction she wanted to take her life when she graduated. She hosted an open mic night at a local cafe and was encouraged to go into music herself after a series of successful performances done by her. Riffin answered an ad in a local paper by future members Sandra Le Blanc and Birch Small, who were looking for two additional members to start a band of their own. Riffin was accepted after bonding with Le Blanc and Small over music and personal interests. They originally performed under the name Uprise, doing cover songs, and gradually garnered a small following. They left Ontario to pursue gigs in the US. It was there that they began making their own material and adopting a metal sound. They began recruiting new members due to the already present members no longer feeling comfortable with their chosen instruments. Le Blanc was promoted to co-vocalist, namely for clean deliveries due to Riffin facing difficulty giving them, doing better with flows and harsh bellows. The band changed their name to Astitch, feeling that Uprise was too general of a name. The name Astitch was inspired a nihilistic man who had his buttcheeks sewn together as a means of self-torment, someone the band heard about via word of mouth. As they toured the US, they began clicking with numerous future members, recruiting them to gain alternates but eventually giving them their own spots in the band. Multiple members enabled the band to get more ideas for songs, experiment with their sound and replicate it from the studio to the stage. The band firmly established itself in Ogden, Utah, starting off as a local outfit that played throughout the state, but later expanding to perform at high schools throughout the US. An EP and an LP were released between 1997 and 1998. They got some prominence when they made a promotional music video for the WWF Royal Rumble. This got the attention of Rick Rubin, who signed them to his American Recordings label after some productive recoding sessions, and recorded two major albums under him. In 2001, tensions became apparent between them and Rubin due to their accelerating morbidity during live performances and then frequently mocking Rubin and acts he worked with. This led to complications on their next album, since they were unable to leave American because of contractual issues and Rubin legally owning the songs they've already recorded for the album. They intended to transfer to Loud Records, who ultimately co-released the album with Columbia and American, but Loud had no interest in working with them further, especially following the decline of nu metal's popularity around that time. A third album was completed in 2003, but never saw a release of any kind. In December of 2008, the band announced on their MySpace page that they broke up due to a loss of interest, the decline in the popularity of commercial metal and failure in finding a new record deal, but complaints from venues and muslim groups over the content of their songs may have been a much bigger reason. Their last show was a performance in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band has garnered a cult following in recent years due to their songs being easy to associate with recent political and racial happenings. Style Genres the band were classified under included alternative metal, heavy metal, nu metal, groove metal and industrial metal. Riffin cites White Zombie, The Residents, Yes, The Smiths and Alice in Chains as her prime influences. Per comparisons, they were compared to Tool and Mudvayne. The band's songs tackle anti-conformist beliefs, going against them. They also tackled issues like foreign policy and racial wars, as well as attacking Muslim/equivalent issues. The band claimed they wanted to focus on supposed non-issues that will eventually become issues if left unattended to. They were heavily criticized by Muslim groups over their negative depiction and have petitioned to boycott the band. The band were notable for having an unusually large amount of players. Riffin explained that the reason for having eleven members was that each member were trained to play every instrument, so on the off chance one is unable to play, they'd have someone who could take their place. Another reason was to better replicate studio recordings of more ambitious songs and enhance live performances. Members Trina Riffin: lead vocals/rapping Sandra Le Blanc: lead vocals Sam Sharp: lead guitar Luna Loud: rhythm guitar Melissa Mipson: bass guitar Tambry Camacho: drums Birch Small: keyboard Wendy Coudoroy: samples, electronics Laura Powers: keytar Tammy Kanker: electric piano Dana Goldman: percussion Julia Woldov: percussion Shauna Chalmers: percussion Releases Albums * Sir Eats a Lot (1998) * Exile (2000) * Conten(m)pt (2001) * Divided We Stand, United We Fall (completed in 2003) Demos/EPs * Asstitch (demo) (1995) * ...it's for the yearbook (1997)